What is the difference in emissions of air pollutants between Italy and North Korea?

331,600 tonnes, with North Korea ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for Italy and North Korea?

273 years are reported by both, from 1750 to 2022.

Where does this data come from?

Hoesly et al. (2024) – Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as emissions of air pollutants. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Italy vs North Korea: emissions of air pollutants

Italy

1.94 million tonnes

in 2022

North Korea

2.27 million tonnes

in 2022

Italy rank

33rd

North Korea rank

31st

emissions of air pollutants over time

Italy
North Korea

How they compare

North Korea currently reports 2.27 million tonnes against 1.94 million tonnes in Italy, a difference of 331,600 tonnes.

That makes North Korea's figure about 1.2 times Italy's.

The two have swapped places 10 times across 273 shared years of data; in 1750 it was North Korea ahead.

Italy ranks 33rd and North Korea ranks 31st of 220 countries.

Across the 28 decades both report, Italy averaged higher in 8 and North Korea in 20.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Italy	North Korea	Difference	Ahead
1750s	1.93 million tonnes	2.42 million tonnes	492,313 tonnes	North Korea
1760s	1.95 million tonnes	2.43 million tonnes	474,974 tonnes	North Korea
1770s	1.98 million tonnes	2.44 million tonnes	456,682 tonnes	North Korea
1780s	2.01 million tonnes	2.45 million tonnes	437,337 tonnes	North Korea
1790s	2.04 million tonnes	2.46 million tonnes	416,814 tonnes	North Korea
1800s	2.07 million tonnes	2.46 million tonnes	394,985 tonnes	North Korea
1810s	2.09 million tonnes	2.47 million tonnes	371,703 tonnes	North Korea
1820s	2.15 million tonnes	2.47 million tonnes	319,049 tonnes	North Korea
1830s	2.24 million tonnes	2.46 million tonnes	218,594 tonnes	North Korea
1840s	2.34 million tonnes	2.44 million tonnes	99,298 tonnes	North Korea
1850s	2.43 million tonnes	2.42 million tonnes	10,963 tonnes	Italy
1860s	2.51 million tonnes	2.42 million tonnes	91,176 tonnes	Italy
1870s	2.60 million tonnes	2.45 million tonnes	143,059 tonnes	Italy
1880s	2.59 million tonnes	2.48 million tonnes	114,057 tonnes	Italy
1890s	2.61 million tonnes	2.44 million tonnes	171,618 tonnes	Italy
1900s	2.63 million tonnes	2.40 million tonnes	225,958 tonnes	Italy
1910s	2.43 million tonnes	2.36 million tonnes	70,441 tonnes	Italy
1920s	2.28 million tonnes	2.56 million tonnes	284,991 tonnes	North Korea
1930s	2.28 million tonnes	2.94 million tonnes	668,859 tonnes	North Korea
1940s	2.13 million tonnes	2.21 million tonnes	80,860 tonnes	North Korea
1950s	2.42 million tonnes	1.87 million tonnes	553,836 tonnes	Italy
1960s	4.06 million tonnes	5.14 million tonnes	1.08 million tonnes	North Korea
1970s	5.71 million tonnes	12.16 million tonnes	6.46 million tonnes	North Korea
1980s	6.45 million tonnes	18.60 million tonnes	12.15 million tonnes	North Korea
1990s	6.61 million tonnes	10.01 million tonnes	3.40 million tonnes	North Korea
2000s	3.56 million tonnes	5.10 million tonnes	1.54 million tonnes	North Korea
2010s	2.30 million tonnes	2.84 million tonnes	537,602 tonnes	North Korea
2020s	1.92 million tonnes	2.39 million tonnes	471,660 tonnes	North Korea

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher emissions of air pollutants, Italy or North Korea?: North Korea, at 2.27 million tonnes against 1.94 million tonnes in Italy as of 2022.
What is the difference in emissions of air pollutants between Italy and North Korea?: 331,600 tonnes, with North Korea ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Italy and North Korea?: 273 years are reported by both, from 1750 to 2022.
How do Italy and North Korea rank globally for emissions of air pollutants?: Italy ranks 33rd and North Korea ranks 31st of 220 countries.
Where does this data come from?: Hoesly et al. (2024) – Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as emissions of air pollutants. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Italy vs North Korea: emissions of air pollutants. Statizoid, drawing on Hoesly et al. (2024) – Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 12 October 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/compare/change-air-pollutant-emissions/italy/korea-dem-people-s-rep/

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About this data

Indicator: emissions of air pollutants
Unit: tonnes
Source: Hoesly et al. (2024) – Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 220 places, 60,060 data points, 1750–2022
Last refreshed: 09 October 2026

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a pollutant produced from the incomplete combustion of carbon-based fuels such as oil, gas, wood, and coal. CO is a harmful gas that contributes to both outdoor and indoor air pollution.